Oxtail Casserole (4 Servings)

1 oxtail
2 tablespoons flour (seasoned with ¹/₂ tsp sea salt and ¹/₄ tsp pepper)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sized onions
1 cup carrots
2 sticks celery
¹/₂ pint beef broth
bouquet garni (mix of herbs including parsley, thyme, marjoram and bay leaves tied with string and removed after cooking)
or ¹/₄ teaspoon each, dried thyme, marjoram and bay leaves and ¹/₂ teaspoon parsley

Trim as much fat as possible from the jointed oxtail and coat in seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and brown the oxtail over high heat. Lift out the oxtail and put in a casserole. Fry the sliced onions, carrots and celery in the fat until lightly brown, sprinkle in the remaining seasoned flour and cook until it has absorbed all the fat. Stir in the stock gradually, then pour this sauce over the oxtail. Add the bouquet garni (or mixed herbs), cover the casserole with a lid and cook on a low shelf at 300° in the oven for about 3 hours or until tender. Add more stock during cooking if the stock is drying out.